Inspiring action plan

The basic rights to subsistence and development are the most fundamental of human rights.

In a developing country with unbalanced development, the focus for the advancement of human rights must be on the comprehensive improvement of people's lives.

These are the principles underlying the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2012-2015) issued on Monday.

The plan maps out the targets for specific areas closely related to citizens' rights and interests. For example, it stipulates efforts will be made to adjust the income distribution pattern, implement poverty alleviation projects, improve the basic housing security system and protect farmers' land rights.

It also specifies that urban jobs will increase by 9 million annually until 2015 and the unemployment rate will be controlled within 5 percent.

And it says that a permanent mechanism will be established to help 5 million rural families with the renovation of their homes during this period, with a view to improving their living conditions.

Of course, the plan also promises that efforts will be made to guarantee citizens' political rights. It requires that the regulations on the disclosure of government information must be well implemented. Auditing information and the investigation and trial of major cases must be made public.

We can see from all the targets that the focus is on the human dimension in the country's economic growth and development.

However, drafting the plan is one thing, realizing the targets the plan has mapped out is another.

There are certainly difficulties to be overcome in its implementation. There may be opposition from interest groups or even some local governments to realizing some of the plan's targets. For example, the action plan mentions that the system of workers' congress will be further optimized to make sure that workers' voices can be heard. Such congresses will basically be established in all State-owned, collective and shareholding enterprises that have trade unions.

Not all employers will welcome such congresses. So regulations must make sure that such congresses can play their role in the protection of workers' rights and interests.

The targets this plan has set are encouraging. Hopefully their implementation will help tackle the various problems this country and its people face in furthering their development.

(China Daily 06/12/2012 page8)